Epoch

Revised Lyrics:

It's your sinking divide. Clock went cold and the readouts die Head ain't reading things right. We (?) malfunction blinking light.

You're looking up at the waves. Peaks and bones have you erased. Surface gets farther away. Settling sediment sinks to clay.

And your lungs start to ache. And your face picks you late. But before you fade away. Your sweeping for a taste.

There's a flicker in the cold. Second chance to have and hold. Out with the new in with the old. The wavelength rests at its note.

Cause there's been a breach. There's been washing and bleach. There's no lessons to teach. And the epoch is a leech.

And it all starts to creep. The walls start to leak. So then remember your weak. It's more than a dream.

Revised Lyrics:

It's your sinking divide. Clock went cold and the readouts die Head ain't reading things right. We (?) malfunction blinking light.

You're looking up at the waves. Peaks and bones have you erased. Surface gets farther away. Settling sediment sinks to clay.

And your lungs start to ache. And your face picks you late. But before you fade away. Your sweeping for a taste.

There's a flicker in the cold. Second chance to have and hold. Out with the new in with the old. The wavelength rests at its note.

Cause there's been a breach. There's been washing and bleach. There's no lessons to teach. And the epoch is a leech.

And it all starts to creep. The walls start to leak. So then remember your weak. It's more than a dream.

It's your sinking divide. Clock went cold and the readouts die Head ain't reading things right. We malfunction blinking light.

You're looking up at the waves. Peaks and bones have you erased. Surface gets farther away. Settling sediment sinks to clay.

And your lungs start to ache. And your face pixelates. But before you fade away. You're sweeping for a taste.

There's a flicker in the cold. Second chance to have and hold. Out with the new in with the old. The wavelength rests at its note.

Cause there's been a brief?*. There's been washing and bleach. There's no lessons to teach. And the epoch is a leech.

And the hall starts the creak. The walls start to leak. So then remember your weak. It's more than a dream.

It's your sinking divide Clock went cold and the readouts died Head ain't readin' things right We'll malfunction, blinking lights (Blinking lights...)

Looking up at the waves Peaks and bones have you erased Surface gets farther away Settling sediment sinks to clay

Then your lungs start to ache And your face picks you late But before you fade away You'll sweep in for a taste

There's a flicker in the code Second chance to have and hold Out with the new, in with the old The wavelength rests at its node

Cause there's been a breach There's been washing in bleach There's no lessons to teach When the epoch is a leach

Then the wall starts to creak Then the walls start to leak Listen, remember you're weak It's more than a dream

Like most songs written by Justin Vernon, this seems to be about struggle that is life. The hope that comes with that struggle.

When I close my eyes and listen to this song, I'm reminded, initially of darker times. And the want to get out of it, and the lack of will the carry it out. That youthful malaise that in the end finds you lonely and unfulfilled. The things that come after that lack of success at not really trying because you know it's not the real thing. That wave that comes with the inevitable destruction of incomplete dreams. The lack of movement that your early twenties brings. Settling for less because you don't believe better exists.

Then, something changes. Like my experience, a deep friendship developed, despite some distance. As the relationship changed, the walls came down. Which was in and of itself intense and scary. But, good scary. Hopeful. Over the years, we've progressed and moved forward. Epoch signifies this change for me. This growth from child to adult and the relationships I've cultivated. That particular relationship that's been my safe haven and the endurance you need to maintain real deep and lasting love.

Getting to where we want to be has been work, and will be more work. But, it's movement. It's palpable. And this song only goes to remind me that I should remember my own weaknesses and take it as seriously as it is. It propels me forward. It is symbiotic with my life and parallel with my feelings of disenfranchised romantic love, and the inevitable fulfillment I found after waiting and working on myself until I was ready for it and until we were ready to head for the future. It is about the responsibility we have to Love, and appreciating it for what it is. Just in the small moments. The real moments.